July 17, 2011-School Board Blues

Bob Englehart

The other day some predictably misguided reader emailed the editorial page to accuse my cartoon of being racist because I had the temerity to depict a black man in prison. A BLACK man in prison! Imagine that! That empty charge of racism has been misused so often, it has no meaning anymore. It's the verbal equivalent of a car alarm. Nobody pays attention to it.

In the 1990s, people were scared spitless of being politically incorrect, even if it meant illustrating a lie. Once, when I was drawing a Sunday morning video comic strip for ESPN, I had occasion to draw the New York Knicks sitting on the bench. The producer insisted I draw at least one white player, EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE NO WHITE PLAYERS ON THE ENTIRE TEAM!

The bottom line back then: I could say anything or draw anything about white people, but blacks and Hispanics had to be treated special even if it was untrue. I deeply resented it and planned for the day when I could tell it like it is. Now, I draw what the majority of the population of a particular group happens to be and to hell with political correctness. If I don't know, I'll make the character white because I'm white and I reserve the right to poke fun of my own race just like any other, thankyouverymuch.

Many years ago, advertising agencies found certain things about American cultural behavior to be true. If they wanted to pitch a product to a 9 year-old, they use a 12 year-old to sell it. If they wanted to pitch a product to a girl, they used a girl. If they wanted to pitch a product to a boy, they used a boy. But, they could use a boy to sell something both sexes would like because girls would relate to the boy, but if they used a girl, boys would have nothing to do with it. That's why most of the family TV shows use 16 year-olds to play in shows that appeal to tweens. The ad agencies also found when they wanted to pitch a product to both races, they used whites. When they used a black person, white people wouldn't respond. I don't know if that's still true today, but it's a basis for discussion.

Most prisoners in the state prisons of Connecticut are black or Hispanic. Most politicians in the state of Connecticut are white. Most of the people in Hartford are minorities, but most of the folks in the suburbs and the rest of the state are white. Not for long, though. At present birth rates in the country, someday, when I draw "typical Mr. and Mrs. Connecticut," they'll be Hispanic.